Wither
by NorthernGasoline
Summary: She was the sufferer. He was the avenger. He showed her strength and she showed him happiness. But sometimes neither one is enough for the inevitable. SasukeXOC


**A/N: **Okay, this is my first fanfiction on here. I'm pretty nervous- I really hope this isn't a fail. Also, I'm working really hard to not make my character a Mary-Sue. Enjoy and give me feedback please!

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Naruto, just my characters.**

Chapter 1: The Room

The harsh, bitter January winds whistled briskly through the glistening dark raven feather like hair belonging to Sasuke Uchiha. He sat on a large stone with both elbows perched on each knee and his fingers laced and tucked securely under his chin. His tired onyx eyes flickered under the rising reddish orange sun from the amount of light being filtered into them. Sasuke looked over at Orochimaru and Kabuto who both had their backs turned to him and discussing something that lingered in the valley below them.

It had been approximately a year since he had made the decision to train under Orochimaru and in all that time not once did the thought of Naruto, The Leaf Village, nor the emotional debris from severing his ties ever cross his mind. He was far too busy drinking in all the newly acquired power that pumped in his system for the thought of returning to even dare lurk back into his mind.

"Sasuke." The deep, chilling voice that belonged to none other than Kabuto called for the Uchiha's attention.

Sasuke glanced up at the sliver-haired minion of Orochimaru's and was met by the glimmering set of glasses that framed Kabuto's face and Orochimaru's sly smile.

"We're leaving."

"About time." Sasuke rose from his comfortable position and walked over to join the pair as the three looked over the barren, dry land before them.

Sasuke was aware that what they were looking at was far more than untouched land, but the location for the underground lair that they would be living in for the next year or even two if they were lucky enough to not have to relocate.

"There," Orochimaru's thin tongue slithered out and his finger pointed left of the land. "There it is. I had almost forgotten about how tricky this lair was hidden."

Kabuto pushed his dark frames back onto the bridge of his nose, "Isn't that why you keep Saburo around?"

'_So there are inhabitants in this one.' _Sasuke concentrated on the land's scenery.

"I suppose that's why I keep the poor man around. Now let's go." Orochimaru grinned even wider and in one swift moment he, along with Kabuto and Sasuke descended into the depths of the valley and quickly arrived to the location which appeared to be a flat space of land until Orochimaru proceeded to form a numerous amount of hand signs.

Sasuke could feel the earth quiver and slowly a oval shaped mound emerged from the ground with a man-made door with a large seal slapped onto it-indicating that only the individuals who sealed it had the power to enter and exit the lair. It was definitely far more advanced than the previous two lairs Sasuke had lived in and much more concealed.

Sasuke watched as Orochimaru quickly unsealed the barrier and the paper seal slowly dissolved into the door-indicating that it was open but would soon reappear once closed again. Orochimaru lead the way and the three emerged into the newly opened dark lair.

_'They're all identical_.' Sasuke took in the etched rusted brown walls, brown tiled flooring, candles illuminating the hallways in the entire lair.

"Saburo did a good job maintaining this one." Kabuto commented as the three walked deeper into the dim-lighted hallways.

"I wonder if that diseased gimp is still living here" Orochimaru touched the walls as he continued his journey down the hall.

"Saburo is the chemist for all of Orochimaru-sama's experiments and medications." Kabuto turned around slightly to inform the raven-haired Uchiha who was otherwise deep in thought by this point.

"Hn." Sasuke's facial features showed no sign of concern or even the slightest spark of emotion at Kabuto.

"Well, you know what to do Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru stopped to examine his surroundings before letting his tongue flicker in the air. "Pick a room."

"In the mean time, Kabuto and I have some things to discuss," Orochimaru signaled for Kabuto to follow him. "You know where to sparring arena is. Be there at 6 p.m for your evening training." The two slowly slipped into the dark, almost pitch black corridor and Sasuke watched them until he could no longer see their eerie silhouettes.

Sasuke walked a little further and chose a random door on the left side and proceeded to turn the knob and edge slowly into the room. It was already illuminated by several candles, all of which were carefully placed around the room and furniture much more advanced that what Sasuke had grown accustomed to having filled the room. His onyx eyes examined the reddish-brown walls with dried scrolls with Buddha proverbs, a small sink and stove, bed, and desk completed the room.

_'This must have belonged one of the older inhabitants.' _Sasuke proceeded to remove his high-colored shirt slowly and drape it over the bed post. It didn't matter anymore, the room now belonged to him and he was too exhausted from traveling to let the thought of what Orochimaru did to the previous owner cross his mind as he slowly crawled onto the bed and let his tired eyes finally close to the world.

* * *

'_The sun always rises. The suuuun always rises.' _

The soft melody of an old traditional song repeated over and over in Senna's head as she walked down the corridors with her arms full of empty mason jars. The mornings were usually the best time to collect the product from her father's old garden, but due to the excessive heat beginning to rise she decided maybe a much _cooler _ time would be best.

'_The sun always rises so remember to open your eyes to the light.'_

She could hear the clicks of her sandals hitting the cracks etched into the flooring and the quiet sound of the candle flame dancing in the warm air.

'_Tooooo the light.' _

Senna blushed at herself thinking how nicely it sounded when her village gathered together during festivals and how atrocious it _actually _sounded when she sang it- even in her mind. Senna blinked a couple times and tried to erase the memories of her village, the songs they sung, and their voices as she approached the room to her door.

In one swift movement she slid all the mason jars we had evenly distributed in both arms onto the left portion of her body and reached for the door knob. Carefully, she twisted it and sighed in relief that none of them dropped to the floor and when she looked into her room her large golden brown eyes expanded and all the blood drained from her.

_There was someone in her bed._

The stranger's bare back was exposed to her and she couldn't see their eyes so Senna had the opportunity to make a run for it and inform her father that someone had broken in.

_But how? There was a seal._

Senna pushed the thought out of her mind and strategically backed away slowly from her room, not wanting to disturb the unknown individual lying in her bed. Her breathing became uneven from fear as her long, thin fingers quietly let go of the door knob and Senna began to back away slowly. When she was certain that she had successfully evaded the situation she exhaled in relief and when she turned she froze.

A pair of dark, onyx eyes were staring into what seemed like beyond her soul and into the very fabric that made Senna what she was.


End file.
